


Beyond Words

by sjst



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6352714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sjst/pseuds/sjst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco is a writer who is having the worst writer's block of all time. He needs inspiration, desperately, but doesn't seem to find it. <br/>Just when he is about to give up, he goes to the park and the situation changes. All it needed, was to see the right person, in the right place at the right time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The moment that changed everything

**Author's Note:**

> I have been now writing for a little over a year, and a few days ago, I was reading some of my first works and thought, God, was I really this bad? My writing back then was really, really bad, and I want to thank every single one of you who welcomed me here and supported my writing even though I now understand that it was quite bad. 
> 
> I guess this is my way to try to thank you for giving me feedback throughout the time I've been writing here, for taking the time to read my stories, leave kudos and comments. It has been wonderful so far and I can't ever thank you enough! 
> 
> This story came in my mind as I was thinking about writing, and this is what came out of it. It will have 5 chapters most likely, and I will try to complete it soon. It's Durmeus, somehow I'm really fond with writing about them and they seemed perfect for this story. 
> 
> In this story as said in the summary, Marco is a writer and you'll learn more about him in this first chapter. Erik is the person who finally makes his writer's block go away, and as the story progresses, they get to know each other more closely. The part written in cursive is kind of the present moment, and the parts written normally are Marco's memories. 
> 
> Thank to everybody who decided to read this and of course, your feedback would again make me really happy :-)   
> \+ sorry for the mistakes, even if my English has improved it still isn't too good.

_"So, Mr. Reus, thank you for accepting this interview, we're very pleased to have you hear with us today," the middle aged woman, the interviewer of the Good Morning -show politely welcomed Marco, after the camera man had signaled that they were on air._

_"It's my pleasure," Marco answered, smiling proudly, holding a copy of his newest and most precious book in his hands. "Firstly, I would like to congratulate you for this wonderful book you have written," the interviewer said, also holding a copy of Marco's book in her hands._

_"Thank you very much."_

_"Tell me, Mr. Reus, as you were writing, did you ever think that this book would become a huge sensation like this?"_

_"I didn't. I wasn't a very know writer back then when I started to write this book, you see. I was having a writer's block at that time, but all it needed was one moment and one special person to change it, and make me write this story," Marco said, quickly glancing at the golden ring on his ring finger._

_"I see, well, I as well as thousands of other people are very happy that you got rid of your writer's block back then and that the world found out who you are. In my opinion, it is very suitable to say that your book had a huge impact on the literature about history written these days. Would you mind telling me and the viewers at home more about the moment when you got the idea to write this story, and what was the writing process like?" The interviewer kindly asked, and Marco nodded._

_"The writing process was tough of course, but the inspiration I had made it easier. The idea itself I got from seeing a person walking down a path in a park. From him, I got the inspiration to the character of the protagonist, and he still is a very important part of my life." He sighed as in his mind, he went back to the one cloudy Saturday morning, that had changed his life for forever._

 

...

 

Marco was sitting on the park bench, incredibly frustrated and angry at the world. How did he, out of all people, have the worst writer's block anyone could imagine having?

Ever since Marco had learned how to write, he had written. As a small child he had written about what he saw, the sceneries and the landscapes. When he had become a little older, he had written about his days, he had kept a diary and talked about his days with his pencil. When he had become a teenager, the short stories of his days had turned into short stories with fictional characters. The first few of them had only had one chapter and had only been hundreds of words long, but as Marco had written more and more, his stories had become longer and the subjects had gotten more serious.

No one in his family had ever understood his passion to write, his passion to live in the world of fiction, read books and write stories of his own. He had never been the 'normal' teenager. All his weekends he had written, he had made up plots in his head, he had read books and analyzed them in his mind. His sisters had tried to get him outside with them, but Marco had preferred to be inside, writing his mind on a paper, until he got his first typewriter, and later, his first computer. He had had friends and of course had spend time with them, just not as much as his sisters had spent with their friends. Marco occasionally like to go outside to see people by himself without anyone with him, though. Seeing different situations had always brought him thoughts about what to write about next.

But sadly the cruel reality was that not many people had understood his passion for writing.

It was all right, though. Marco liked it to have his own time to get absorbed into his thoughts me his stories. At school, he had had top grades in German, history and English, he had already back then dreamed about one day publishing a book of his own. Marco had liked his life like that, being the different youngster, talking about his life and the things that interested him through his stories and the characters in them.

He had published his first book right at the age of eighteen, but it hadn't been a huge success. It had been a story about an infamous detective working on a murder case of a bourgeois man in Paris. The book hadn't gotten a lot of attention, but it had sold a few copies, and Marco couldn't have been prouder of himself.

His parents hadn't been proud of him when he had decided to leave his studies right after high school, but Marco had made up his mind and nothing could have possibly stopped him. He had left his studies, been lucky enough to get a job from a supermarket, and moved on his own. He had found a small apartment from a town nearby his hometown, with a rent low enough for him to be able to pay it with his job. Marco hadn't been interested in studying in a university, no matter how risky it had been for him to leave his studies. He had always known that it was his destiny to be a writer, it was his vocation, without writing, his life would be meaningless.

He had started to work and even though his days were long, in the evenings he had been able to write, soon finishing his second book, about a noblewoman falling in love with his servant and marrying him, despite her family being against their romance. The book had sold more than the first one, but still not enough for Marco to become a known author. Marco had earned some useful money from it, though, so he had been able to buy a new computer.

Marco had continued with his work after that, desperately trying to come up with an idea for a new book. He had written a few stories in between, started countless of new books but eventually erasing all the texts, not being satisfied what where his ideas had been going. He had been lacking ideas like never before, he had questioned himself as a writer and had hit a dark time in his life.

A dark time that still hadn't come to an end, as he sat in on the wooden bench of a park near his apartment.

He had decided to go to the park to look for ideas, since being outside and seeing people was something that had always filled his mind with new ideas what to write about. Not today, as it seemed, though. Marco had sat on the same bench for a good while now, starting the first sentence over and over again as he couldn't come up with anything how to continue it.

Around him he saw children playing with their parents, elderly people walking hand in hand and a several people passing by, walking along the path that went across the park, in between of the grass and the trees. It was a cloudy day, but people were still having fun, having decided to take the chance to spend the day with their beloved ones. It was the middle of July and the weather was warm, despite the clouds, and Marco just sat there with his computer firmly on his lap, waiting for the idea to strike him. He was about to give up and leave, since his mind seemed to be blank. His mind wasn't on track, he couldn't think of anything as he sat there, watching the people. He thought about every historical period of time he knew would usually fill his mind with ideas, but nothing came up. Absolutely nothing.

Marco buried his face in his hands, ruffling his hair before he sighed and raised his head up again. Maybe he should just give up, and accept the fact that he wasn't going to get a new idea anytime soon. He already put his computer in his bag as he glanced around, seeing an elderly man walking along the path, dressed in a way that reminded Marco a lot of a man from the early twentieth century. Marco followed the man with his gaze, before he heard the gravel of the path moving on his right. He turned his gaze only to see something that left him speechless.

Along the path ran a young man, looking like a gazelle as he ran with his elegant and long legs. He had headphones on his ears and his gaze was fixed forwards. He ran closer and closer to Marco, until Marco could see his face perfectly clearly.

The man's face was pure perfection. His cheeks were rosy because of his running, his eyes were as clear as the ocean and his chin was accentuated by the full lips that made his face complete. His hair was fluffy and all over his face, Marco's eyes marveling the beautiful brown color of them. Marco was lost in him, following him with his gaze until he couldn't see him anymore, as the path he ran along turned around a corner.

Marco was dumbstruck but one thing was for sure: now he knew what to write about, and what he would need to do to keep his inspiration up.


	2. Wait!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for giving this story and a chance, a special thank you to Blue_Night and GoForGoals for leaving a comment!   
> I hope that you will still like this story and if you like it, feedback would be great and make me very happy :-)

_"I guess you could say that meeting him wasn't really planned," Marco said, quietly, not wanting to reveal too much._

_"And was it a surprise that after that the plot of your story appeared in your mind so clearly?"_

_"Kind of, after all I hadn't thought that I'd get the inspiration like that, just sitting on the park bench, looking around. I had already had the plot in my mind, but one vital piece had been missing. I had all the other pieces together, but without knowing what the protagonist could look like, thinking about the book was pretty hard," Marco admitted._

_"And after you saw him, in your mind you could see the protagonist of your story in your mind, am I right?"_

_"Yes. Prince Eric."_

 

...

 

After that day, Marco went to the same park every day, just in the hope of seeing the young and handsome brunette again.

He had been the one to give him the idea to write again, the idea to start another book, and maybe given him another chance to get acknowledged by the world of literature. Marco had been thinking about writing about a journalist, working for a big newspaper in the England of the year 1923, an alternative universe, of course. Marco had learned a lot of that period of time when he had been at school and was still somehow intrigued by it, since he mostly liked to write about history. The character of his journalist had been complete, but when Marco had seen the handsome man running past him with his special features, Marco's story had got its second protagonist. A prince.

The handsome brunette had reminded Marco of a prince that instant, with his golden brown hair and clear eyes. After he had run out of Marco's sight, in his mind Marco had seen his face perfectly clearly, in the universe he had already created in his mind.

The journalist of Marco's story, gets a rather honorable assignment to do a close up column of a charity the prince himself was working on. The journalist gets to work with the prince himself, the prince whose name Marco hadn't yet decided, and they even become friends. Marco had imagined the prince to look exactly like the man he had seen jogging along the path in the park, and he may or may not have imagined himself looking like the journalist he was writing about. As the journalist and the prince get closer, the prince's deep secret is revealed. He's homosexual. Homosexuality during that time was forbidden, and as the journalist finds out about the prince's deep secret, he is shocked and not very tolerant like most of the people during that time. Marco hadn't yet decided the ending, but he knew that it would come in his mind as he would write more.

This was what he had in his mind. He knew that this could really be his chance. He knew that writing another historical novel about some ordinary topic wouldn't help him to move forward on his career. People weren't interested in reading about the topics and themes that had already been written about. He knew that his idea was rather risky but it could work. It was something Marco himself was interested to write about, and he wouldn't have a hard time to write about it. It was a different thing how the people would receive his book and if they read it, but Marco had a feeling that they would. Marco's topic wasn't mainstream on any ways, it was something that wasn't often written about, and it could attract readers, at least Marco hoped so.

But before Marco could even dream of that, he would actually need to write the book and figure out the ending.

So he had come to the park again, only in the hope of seeing the handsome brunette, who was his inspiration, again. He was the prince of his story, his appearance being exactly what Marco imagined the prince of his story to look like. After seeing him for the first time, jogging along the path, Marco hadn't been able to do anything else but look at him and follow him with his gaze until he had run out of his sight. The storyline had just flooded in Marco's mind like never before.

When he had gone home that same evening, he had written the first few lines of the book, and the storyline as far as he had been able to. Still, something had been lacking, the ideas didn't hit his mind at the same rate as they had hit him right after he had seen the handsome brunette. Marco thought he knew the reason why that happened. It was probably because he hadn't seen enough of the brunette. The short seconds he had been able to look at him had been far too short for Marco to remember him vividly, so Marco had decided to go to the park again, in the hope of seeing the man again.

Marco wouldn't like to think of himself as a stalker, but somehow, hurrying to sit on the same bench in the next morning, felt like stalking, because he really was there only to see the man. He had sat on the very same bench and looked around, setting up his computer on his lap. He was waiting now, constantly his gaze traveling along the path to see the person who he had been day dreaming of the entire day.

It had probably been roughly about thirty minutes, before Marco turned his head so fast that a sharp pain stung in his neck, as he heard the same rustling sound he had heard just yesterday. His eyes instantly searched for the young brunette, whom he saw, running along the path, wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

He didn't seem to notice Marco, who was watching him with big eyes, following his every single movement with devotion. He ran again with his headphones on, turning around the same corner, and just like that, Marco no longer saw him.

Sudden sadness hit Marco as the man was gone again, but, what made his mood better was that his mind was filling with ideas again. He quickly started typing, typing thousands of words right there where he sat, on the wooden bench of the park. He only left hours later, the face of the beautiful man still drawn into his memory, clearly. It didn't matter that he wasn't there anymore, as Marco was lost in his world of fiction again, and he only realized to leave the park when he felt drops of rain on the top of his head.

After that day, Marco went to the park every day, but didn't always see the mysterious man. It was rare if Marco saw Erik on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Friday's, but on Saturdays and Sundays, Marco saw Erik every morning, jogging or running along the path of the park. Every Saturday and Sunday Marco wrote his book, thousands of words, sentence after sentence he wrote and wrote, always coming up with new ideas after seeing the man again. Even though he could write the most right after seeing the brunette, writing at home had also become easier once he had seen the man more often and could remember his face better.

At home Marco wrote too, almost losing himself into the world that he had created, not that he minded. He only wished that he could somehow get closer to the running man, somehow be able to talk to him, and learn more about him, to make his character more complete. Marco couldn't come up with any reasons or excuses to get closer to the man who had stolen his mind, completely. His throat ached and burned as he saw him running past him, wanting to say something to him.

The man had started to notice Marco sitting on the bench almost every time he ran past him, and occasionally he even smiled at Marco, making Marco's heart flip in the process. His smile was even more beautiful than Marco could have imagined in his wildest dreams and imaginations. Marco could sense that he was slowly starting to develop a crush on the handsome running man, whether he wanted it or not. Marco didn't mind it, it just made him want to speak to him even more. Marco had of course smiled back at him, hoping that he man would see his own smile as beautiful as he saw his smile.

Marco's story developed just like his understanding of the still unknown man as he got to know more about him, saw his smile and sometimes the frustrated look on his face as he ran fast, trying to outrun the rain catching up on him. Marco still hadn't put names to his characters, as ridiculous as it sounded. He wanted to know the name of this stranger so desperately. He wanted to use his name, or at least a variation of it, because this man was already so special to Marco. The book he was writing was special to him, by far the most important book he had ever written.

Yet on another day, Marco was again sitting on the bench early in the morning, waiting for the clock to hit nine and see the handsome brunette again. He had his computer all set up, and even wrote some lines, getting closer to the half way of his book. He looked around the park patiently, smiling as he saw some parents he had already seen in the park earlier, playing with their children, and a couple of younger persons playing catch with their dogs.

Marco sighed deeply as he saw the handsome brunette running towards his direction again, moving his limbs in a beautiful way. He ran more and more, before he suddenly took out his phone, apparently to change the song playing on his headphones. He changed the song quickly and pushed his phone back into his pocket right when he was at the point of the path where Marco was sitting. As he was closing the zipper of his sports jacket, Marco noticed that he dropped something, apparently his ID-card.

Without further thinking, Marco got up and picked up the card, quickly noticing the name on it. Erik Durm. Marco instinctively turned his head to the direction where Erik was running, luckily still not far away from him. "Wait! You dropped something!" He yelled, holding the card in his hands, as he watched the handsome brunette slowing down and turning to look at him.


	3. The first meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, but it tells more about the story :-)   
> Thank you so much for the feedback, it means a ton!

_"Even though Prince Erik was crystal clear in my mind, the plot itself only started to write itself as I learned more about the person who was and who still is my inspiration."_

_"So after that the writing was faster and easier?"_

_Marco blushed. "I guess you could say that. Although, all the happenings in my private life changed the way I wrote, too. A book usually changes a lot in the writing process. Even if in the beginning you might have seen the plot and the storyline clearly in your mind, new ideas keep coming up in your mind."_

_"If you don't mind me asking, was it something fortunate that happened in your life that changed the book? You smile a lot as you think back to it, I've noticed." The interviewer smiled warmly._

_"Yes, something very fortunate. I fell in love."_

 

...

 

Marco held the handsome man's ID-card in his hands, holding it high up in the air so that the man would surely notice him.

The brunette turned to look at him, first with surprised eyes, and then with confused eyes as his hand flew into his pocket and he realized that something was missing. Marco gulped as he looked at the man he had written about for several weeks already, as much as he had been expecting to meet him, suddenly he was very scared, and reserved. This chance to meet him had happened by accident, and he hadn't even had time to prepare himself for it.

The handsome brunette started to walk towards him, and Marco had to turn his gaze down, not being able to look into his eyes due to his own nervousness. He looked at the ID-card he was still holding, gazing at the name again. Erik Durm. So perfect and so right.

"I dropped my ID-card, I see," Marco heard Erik say, and he looked up immediately.

"Yeah, I just saw you drop it and thought that you might want it back," Marco said, handing Erik back the card. He wondered why Erik was even carrying an ID-card with him while he was running.

"Thank you so much, I wouldn't have wanted to lose it, my mother wants me to carry it in case I get into an accident or something, while I'm running," Erik admitted with a blushed face. Marco found it very sweet.

"Do you run long distances, then?" He heard himself asking before he could even think.

"No, not really, but I guess that it's good to carry something that tells my identity, in case something really happened," Erik said and smiled. "It was really kind of you to call after me."

"It was the least I could do," Marco said and shrugged his shoulders, like saving people's ID-cards was his day to day job.

"Anyway, I must continue my run if I want to make it to work in time. Thank you again...-"

"Marco," Marco said and offered Erik his hand.

"Marco. I'm Erik, in case you didn't see that yet," he said, chuckling, and then ran off, leaving a stunned but smiling Marco behind him. Life had some wonderful surprises, after all.

 

\---

 

It was the first night Marco dreamed of Erik.

Every since saving his ID-card and meeting him, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. The handsome brunette with the name Erik was almost in every single one of his thought, in one form or another.

Marco's book had almost started to write itself by now. Word after word the plot became clearer, even though sometimes Marco had a hard time to write after Erik had smiled him his widest smile as he had run past him. Marco's heart had started to beat for the man he only knew by name, without him even noticing it. The moments when he'd see Erik had become the highlights of his day and the days he saw Erik were the best days of his weeks.

His family had noticed the change in him and started to pry about his book, but Marco had refused to tell them anything. He didn't know what to say, he hadn't yet even managed to reveal them the topic he was writing about, much to his own surprisal. The project was somehow really secret to him, he hadn't told any details to anyone. It had become personal too, as he had started to describe Erik very detailedly in the book. He had only said that it wasn't anything special, only something he wrote for fun.

Which wasn't really the case anymore. Marco had read quite a few books and he was smart enough to realize that what he was writing about could turn out to be something really big one day.

The spring turned into summer and slowly the summer was also starting to turn into autumn. Erik was still running past Marco a few times every week, Except for one week when Marco had fallen ill with a fever and couldn't have left his apartment, a week that Marco had detested with all his might not because he was sick but because he hadn't been able to see Erik.

Marco had really been hoping and praying that Erik would drop his ID-card and that he could talk to him again, not for the sake of his book but for the sake of himself. He had noticed how he had grown to be very attached to Erik, and seeing him was almost like a drug to him. He hadn't wanted to admit anything at first, but since there had been no way around, Marco had finally admitted to himself that he was falling in love with Erik.

Marco's book was also moving forward. As he felt himself falling in love with Erik, so did the journalist of his story fall in love with the prince. It hadn't been Marco's first intention when he had started the book, but after all he hadn't had any ideas how to end the book and writing it this way simply had felt the most natural. He knew that it was risky to write the protagonist falling in love with another man and starting a relationship with him, but Marco just wrote, he had wanted to create something that he hadn't yet written about, and this was it.

Marco had also been thinking about ways to get closer to Erik once again, excessively, until one week he hadn't had time to think about getting closer to him because of his worries. Erik hadn't shown up to the park, not to jog nor to walk, there hadn't been any signs of him for almost a week. Marco had gotten really worried about Erik, and also sad at the same time. Erik had nearly become a permanent part of his life, Marco didn't know what he would do if he didn't see Erik anymore.

The days were longer and duller when Marco didn't see Erik anymore. His worries and desperation became worse and worse after every day he didn't see Erik. It had been roughly two weeks without seeing him, and Marco was almost about to search for Erik's address and to go see him, before one day he saw Erik again.

He was hobbling on one leg, walking with two crutches.


	4. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put the last two chapters together so it makes this story only four chapters long but I feel like it's better this way.   
> I'm sorry that finishing this story took so long but here it finally is. Thank you so much for everyone who's left feedback and given me courage to keep writing this story, it means a lot!  
> I hope that you'll enjoy this last chapter of this short story, and I also of course hope that you'll tell me what you think about it. :-)  
> Sorry for the mistakes, I only read it through twice so there are bound to be some.

Marco watched Erik hobbling closer to him, and suddenly Marco felt pain for seeing Erik in obvious pain. Erik's movements were awkward as he hobbled forward, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated on his movements. Marco straightened his shoulders as he sat on the bench, already deciding that he would ask Erik what was wrong with him. This was his chance to communicate with him again.

"Oh hey, you're still here." Erik was the first one to speak. He smiled as he took the last few steps towards Marco. Marco hesitantly made space for him on the bench, and his heart started to beat a thousand miles per hour as Erik literally sat next to him. Marco had never seen him this close and God was he even more beautiful than what he had expected.

"Hey, and yeah, still here," Marco chuckled. "Did something happen to you? I haven't seen you in a while?" Marco asked even though it was obvious that something had happened to Erik.

"You noticed that I wasn't here?"

"Of course I did, we saw each other several times a week. I missed seeing you," Marco said and blushed. "Sorry, I didn't meant to sound like a stalker."

"No, don't worry about it!" Erik hastened to say. "I was just surprised that you cared this much. But yeah, I got hit by a car, turns out that running can be dangerous after all, my mother was right." Erik chuckled, and shook his head.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Was it bad?" Marco asked, worriedly, glancing at Erik's leg.

"Broke my leg. It wasn't that bad, it was just bad luck, too. It's getting better now, though."

"I'm still sorry to hear that," Marco said.

"I probably won't be able to run in several months, that's what sucks," Erik said. "I can only imagine. Running must be your passion?"

"Yes. And your passion must be computers, right?" Erik asked, pointing at Marco's computer.

"Oh, not computers necessarily, but writing books is."

"That sounds really nice. I read quite a lot of books, do I possibly know any of your works?"

"Oh, probably not. I'm not that popular-" Marco managed to say before both he and Erik glanced at the sky when a few drops of rain hit them.

"Hey, Marco," Erik began insecurely and Marco was really surprised that he still remembered his name. "Maybe you'd like to go talk to a cafe near by, if you're not busy? I'm on holiday now because of the goddamn leg, I have a lot of free time and you and I could have a lot to talk about."

"Of course!" Marco nearly screamed out of excitement as he packed his computer and he started to walk towards the cafe together with Erik. Finally he had gotten closer to him again.

 

...

 

A few nights after their meeting at the cafe, they were already going to have a date.

Marco sat at a table secluded from the rest of the restaurant, waiting for Erik with two glasses of champagne and two menus in front of him on the table. He was nervous as hell, patting his shoe against the floor impatiently, before Erik's slender figure finally came into the restaurant.

Marco smiled and got up as he saw Erik shrugging off his coat, wearing an elegant shirt with jeans. "Hey!" Marco chirped excitedly as greeted Erik and hastened to help the man who was still struggling because of his crutches.

"Hello, Marco, so nice to see you again!" Erik said as he hugged Marco, making butterflies fly all over Marco's stomach.

"I'm very happy to see you again, too," Marco said as they sat down, and started to inspect the menus.

They both decided to take ravioli, since it was an Italian restaurant. Both of them happened to like Italian food, one more thing to add to the list of what both of they had in common. They did have a lot in common, they both loved books and history, spending time outside and having a good time with their families. They were quite a lot alike, but there were difference like Erik's passion for sports and Marco's passion for writing. Their differences brought them even closer together, they made a unique combination that neither of them could really describe.

They liked being around each other, they really did. Marco laughed a lot but also blushed more than he had in a long time, Erik was constantly flirting with him, and conquering his heart in a fast pace. Marco had tried to do his part with conquering Erik's heart and so far he had seemed to be succeeding, since Erik was flirting back with him and smiling a lot, looking almost ridiculously happy every time Marco complimented him.

Their evening had gone almost magically well, and Marco didn't want it to stop. He didn't want to let go of Erik's hand when Erik had offered to pay the bill, he didn't want to leave Erik's side at all. They left the restaurant and were soon standing in the chilly autumn air, Erik still having to carry the crutches with him. They exited the restaurant, and decided to go for a walk. Marco was more than happy right after Erik agreed that Marco could support his walking by holding a hand around him, when they started to walk along the street leading downtown.

"I had a really good time today, Marco," Erik said, as he guided them towards a small bench just big enough for two, near a large oak tree.

"Me too, it was really wonderful," Marco said, sitting on the bench. He leaned against Erik's frame, and before he knew it, almost an instinctive reaction from his body made him rest his head on Erik's shoulder.

They stayed there for a while in peaceful silence, enjoying the sweetness of the situation before Erik gently had shook his shoulder and Marco had straightened his neck. Erik looked deep into Marco eyes, before he put his hands on both of his cheeks and asked: "May I kiss you?"

Marco could do nothing but nod, and then Erik kissed him, straight on the lips for the first time and God the moment was simply ethereal. Erik's kiss was heaven on Earth, his lips moving together with Marco's in perfect synch, creating something that Marco had never experienced before.

A perfect kiss.

Marco had simply had to invite Erik to his home, and luckily Erik had said yes to his invitation and joined Marco to share many more loving kisses on Marco's couch. Later that night Erik had also read a part of Marco's book, and the look on his face was simply priceless when Marco had been able to utter out that the prince of the book Erik had just been reading, was inspired by Erik himself.

The sex they had had after that, had been the most mind blowing sex of Marco's life.

 

...

 

Not long after their first, second, third, fourth and fifth date, they had taken their relationship to the next level. They had moved in together. They hadn't made a big deal out of it, they had simply carried Erik's stuff from his apartment to Marco's apartment, both knowing what them moving in together meant, without having to speak about it out loud.

Marco had met Erik's parents whilst Erik had met Marco's parents. Everything had been simply perfect, nothing could have gone better as Marco had enjoyed his life with his new boyfriend. Soon enough Erik had been able to start running again, and Marco couldn't have been happier for him. Erik seemed to be truly happy with him, just as happy as Marco was to be with Erik.

They seemed to be meant for each other, and Marco thanked God every day for going to that park on that Saturday morning when he had seen Erik for the first time. What Marco didn't know back then was that it could get even better.

 

...

 

_"Writing a book like this must be demanding. I heard that you wrote it in a little over a year."_

_"That is correct," Marco answered, looking into the interviewer's eyes._

_"Would you like to thank some special people now?"_

_"Yes I would. My family of course, for giving me support and believing in me, but most of all, the biggest 'thank you', goes to my husband." Marco smiled brightly as he brushed his fingers over the golden ring that was the seal of the love the love of his life felt for him._

 

_..._

 

'Because in the end, love is more important.' Marco wrote the last words of his book with a smile on his face, one single tear rolling down his cheek.

Finally the book was finished, it was finished for good. It had turned out to be perfect, everything Marco had expected and even more. He ran to the living room where his boyfriend was lying on the couch, watching TV effortlessly.

"It's finished!" Marco screamed as he stood in front of Erik, smiling proudly.

"Really? That is just amazing!" Erik said, standing up to hug his boyfriend, who was almost crying happy tears. Marco felt so relieved, writing the book had been stressful and now it was finally done.

"Yes, really!" Was all Marco could say before he was kissed by Erik.

"I'm so proud of you, Marco!" Erik said, ardently. He bit his lips with unreadable emotions flickering through them.

"Thank you, love, this wouldn't have been possible without you," Marco said as he hugged Erik tightly, feeling Erik running his hands along his back.

"You did the hardest work, darling," Erik said before he pulled way from Marco to look into his eyes. "Could we go for a walk to the park? I kind of have a... surprise for you." The strange emotions flickered in Erik's eyes again, and Marco thought for a moment if he should ask was something wrong or not, before he decided against it and just nodded, curious about his surprise.

"Sure, just let me get my coat," Marco said, went to get his coat and dressed up in the hall together with Erik, before they left the apartment and walked to the park.

They soon reached the park where they had first met and Marco sighed happily as the memories flooded in his mind. He was about to sit on the same bench where he and Erik had sat and talked, getting to know each other before he noticed that Erik had pulled to a halt. Erik seemed nervous as he stood there, completely focused on something in his mind.

"Don't you want to sit?" Marco asked, confused. "No, uh, there's something I want to do right now," Erik said, slowing turning towards Marco with emotions almost flooding out of his eyes.

"What is it?" Marco asked, really confused and worried now. He had never seen his boyfriend like this, never had Erik looked so focused and determined. Erik kept looking into his eyes as he put both of his hands on Marco's shoulders, and kept him at place.

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Of course I do. And you know that I love you," Marco said, a small smile spreading on his face.

"I do." Erik smiled as he kissed Marco's lips briefly, before he cleared his throat. "Last year, when we met on this same bench, I never could have imagined that you would become my boyfriend. Every day I cherish that memory in my mind, the way you looked when you first smiled at me, the first words you spoke to me. That was the day that changed my life, and one of the best days of my life. That day when I met you, my life changed for the better. You were the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life, the kindest and sweetest man I had ever met. I felt drawn into you instantly and I remember thinking that I would just need to get closer to you, no matter what. You were the one who stole my heart already back then, without me even noticing it. Luckily you also wanted the same, and we went on that date. Our first kiss, it was perfect and even more. I still remember the taste of strawberry on your lips, the way you bit my upper lip as we kissed. I will never forget any of that, I swear to God. We've been getting closer ever since, and I can't help but fall in love with you more, every second. You're the most wonderful person in my life, you're the love of my life, and therefore, I want to, I need to ask you something," Erik ended his long speech with his eyes watering. By now, Marco was sure that he would faint any minute because oh God, was Erik really doing this?

Erik dug his pocket before he pulled out a small box covered in white velvet, and dropped down on one knee. Marco's hand flew on his mouth and he gasped, as Erik opened the box and looked into his eyes with his own teary eyes. "Will you marry me, Marco?"

"Yes," was all Marco could croak out in between his tears, as Erik slipped the beautiful golden ring on his ring finger, and pulled him close.

Marco had never felt that good in his life, Erik hugging him tightly and kissing the top of his head, making Marco feel more loved that ever. Tears were streaming down Erik's face, as he whispered a silent 'Thank God' against Marco's hair.

If this moment wasn't perfect, Marco didn't know what was.

 

...

 

Everything had been perfect in Marco's life after that.

He and Erik had gotten married the next spring, sealing their love with beautiful wedding vows that Marco would never forget. He would never forget the unconditional love Erik had promised to give him, he would never forget the look on his face when Marco had said the words 'I do'. He would never forget the celebration they had had, he would never forget their first dance as a couple and he certainly would never forget their wedding night.

After that, they had gone to celebrate their marriage and had a honeymoon in New Zealand. When they had been there, Marco hadn't been allowed to write anything, not like he had wanted to, anyway. He had enjoyed Erik's company more than anything, just feeling his love surrounding him every day, every night.

Marco had sent the book to his publisher a few days after Erik's proposal. The book had been checked and proof read, before it had finally been ready to be released. The day it had been brought to the stores and the copies of it had been sent to some book critiques, Marco had nearly pulled his own hair out, but luckily Erik had been there to comfort him and tell him that it would be all right. Marco had wanted the book to be a success so bad, he wanted to quit his job at the supermarket, he had wanted to live his dream with this special book he had written, but all he had been able to do was wait.

Marco's waiting had eventually been rewarded by the first critiques of his book coming out. Marco had nearly screamed out of joy as he had read them. Everybody had seemed to love his book. Every single one. They praised him for taking up such a difficult topic, but managing to bring it out in a delicate way and deal with something that was still a problem these days, meaning homophobia.

Not only the critiques loved Marco's book. After some positive reviews, the book had started to sell a lot, more than Marco could have ever imagined and soon, Marco had been able to quit his job, and start touring Germany with his book, giving interviews and autographs.

Marco now had a job that he loved, his dream had come true, but most importantly, he had met the love of his life, and that was more important than any book he ever could have written.

 

...

 

_"And the name, 'Beyond Words', would you mind telling us where exactly does it come from?" The journalist asked one last question that made Marco smile._

_"The title has a very special meaning. Of course I wanted to portray the way that even though the word was very intolerant back then, homosexuality still existed, even around the people who we never thought could have feelings towards the same gender. The reason why I chose the words Beyond Words to be the title, is, that love goes 'beyond words', in a way, of course the meaning is slightly different from the idiom, but in my mind it still works. Love isn't something that one can truly describe with words, it isn't something that can be written down. Love is a feeling that of course should be put into words, but words can never really catch a feeling because feelings are something that we feel, and not something we can grasp by reading lines. Love goes beyond words. It's a deep feeling one can feel for another being, regardless of the gender. The journalist of my story eventually realizes that even though he could have written about the love life of the prince, he doesn't want to, because he can't. Not to mention the mayhem it would have caused back then, but also because he shouldn't have done that. What they have in the end is a lot more precious, something he himself couldn't think of having. Even though this was a long explanation, the short answer is that in my opinion, love goes beyond words and is individual for every person." Marco took a deep breath, brushing his fingers along the words 'Beyond Words' written on the book._

_"That it very thoughtful and beautiful, I must say. I assume that the person who inspired you to write this story, has his in your life that led you into these deeper thoughts about love?"_

_"Absolutely. I have experienced love that can't be expressed with words, and writing has always been my passion. This is my way of showing what the feelings might be like, and my attempt to make this world more equal."_

_"Do you have any final words to say before we end the interview?"_

_"Yes. As I said, these are all my own opinions, but I would certainly appreciate if the people who read my book or all people in general would give some thoughts. Love, is a hard concept. It's hard to describe with words and it is something you individually feel. So, in this case, if you can't feel what the other person is feeling towards the other person, even if it is a person of the same gender, why should you judge the other person for his or her feelings? We live in a world big enough for a lot of love. Let people love who they want, because even though we live in a big world, we have short lives, and we should make the most of them."_

_"Thank you Mr. Reus, that was a lovely thing to say, and perfect words to end our conversation on." The interviewer smiled, looked into the camera, and then the camera man shouted that they were off air._

_Marco sighed gratefully as he got off his chair, was thanked again and then let go to continue with his day. He made his way to the warm spring air, and put his sunglasses on, as he started to walk towards his home, and his love. He walked along the streets until he reached a very special park not far away from his home._

_He sat on the wooden bench and heard the birds singing, flying in the cloudless sky. Marco took off his sunglasses and leaned back, going back in time to the very moment when he had seen the love of his life. "I thought that I'd find you hear," a familiar voice said next to him._

_Erik smiled at him, looking as gorgeous as ever as he sat down, and took Marco's hand in his. "You know how much I like it here," Marco said, blushing at his memories. The first time they had met, their first date, their first kiss..._

_"I know, darling," Erik said, and brushed his thumb along Marco's hand. They both just looked forward, both going back in their memories, until Marco moved his gaze towards Erik. He loved this man so much. He had loved him ever since the first time he had seen him, and he had learned to love him more every second after that._

_The brunette leaning against him, the prince of his story, was truly his Prince Charming and his everything. Erik blinked a couple of times before he turned his gaze to Marco again, and smiled._

_"Kiss me," he said, and oh did Marco do right that._


End file.
